“God created something above you for you.”
Most of us believe in angels, but we seldom pray to them. We imagine them wistfully flying around us, guarding or guiding us. But they are pure spirit, and we can’t relate to that aspect of their nature. Fathoming a special bond with your angelic guardian may seem awkward, but it’s a devotion we all can adopt in order to deepen our interior life and grow in sanctification.
Why is a devotion to our angel important? To begin, the angelic theologians and most exorcists concur that our guardians chose us. They knew us before we were created, and out of love and obedience to God, they said yes to His offer to protect us. This means they have had full knowledge of our temperaments, every sin we’ve ever committed, and all the good we would do in life. They likely know us better than we know ourselves.
Here are some specific ways to increase your devotion to your guardian angel.
Ask your angel to reveal your primary defect so that you can grow in holiness. Because your angel has full knowledge of all things, he knows everything about you. It’s not uncommon for us, from time to time, to get bewildered at why we are stuck in a particularly bad pattern of behavior, or why certain relationships seem to be difficult for us.
Pray that your guardian will show you what your weaknesses are and how they affect – and hinder – your spiritual growth.
You can, in addition to devotion to St. Anthony of Padua, ask your guardian angel to help you find something when it is lost, or to help you when you feel lost spiritually.
I knew from a very young age that my guardian angel was real and guarded me from danger. When I was in college and attended a concert with some of my students from youth group, I first prayed to him. They all had rides to stay late, but I had to get home because of an early start to the next day.
The problem was, as I wandered in the parking lot fairly late at night, I got increasingly lost and began to panic. Where was my car parked, anyway? I was certain I was walking in circles, and it scared me for so many reasons. I didn’t want to be out in the dark alone that late at night for too long.
I prayed to my guardian angel to help me find my vehicle. Immediately, I heard a tap on the light post behind me. I turned around and saw my car parked next to it. Some might say this was a mere coincidence, but I believe my angel helped me that day.
Fr. Ripperger says, in his and other exorcists’ experience, Satan assigns us a guardian “demon” to counter the effects of our guardian angel’s influence in our lives. This came as a total shock to me when I first heard about it. The explanation is this:
Since all angels were created at once, and all angels made a decision to either obey or disobey God, it’s quite possible that there was a fallen angel who once was holy and was asked by God to be your guardian. Only he refused and was instantly thrown into Hell. Another faithful angel accepted this mission.
Because Satan likes to mock everything God does, it makes sense that we might have a diabolic spirit attempting to dissuade us from growing closer to Him. This spirit would know us well and perhaps be the agent of ordinary temptations for us. But our guardian, always with us, is fighting this – and other – demons whom you’ll never see or meet in this life.
Pray that your guardian will keep you strong in times of trial, that he will assist you in holy thoughts and influence your imagination, especially when you are undergoing intense diabolic attack. Because angels communicate telepathically – that is, through thoughts – they can, and do, powerfully sway us toward heavenly things when we ask.
Your angel will give you interior humiliations if you ask him. It sounds absurd at first thought to actually ask to be humiliated, but your guardian knows that the best and surest way to heaven is by way of humility. There is no saint praising God eternally who was not first and foremost humbled.
All angels are perfect in every virtue, but their primary means of serving God is through humble submission to His will. This is constant. They are faithful without apprehension or skepticism. Any iota of pride is reserved for diabolic angels.
Therefore, ask your angel to help you grow in humility, and you will discover surprising ways each day that your ego was injured or pride shattered. Then, thank him for it and all the ways he loves you.
Tagged as: angel, devotions, guardian angels
Jeannie Ewing believes the world ignores and rejects the value of the Cross. She writes about the hidden value of suffering and even discovering joy in the midst of grief. As a disability advocate, Jeannie shares her heart as a mom of two girls with special needs in Navigating Deep Waters and is the author of From Grief to Grace , A Sea Without A Shore , and Waiting with Purpose. Jeannie is a frequent guest on Catholic radio and contributes to several online and print Catholic magazines. She, her husband, and three daughters live in northern Indiana. For more information, please visit her website jeannieewing.com.